SYRACUSE, N.Y. - About 18,000 people dropped out of the workforce in Central New York between 2004 and 2014, the most recent year available.

A series by The Post-Standard | Syracuse.com this year will explore what happened to those workers and what kinds of jobs the remaining 375,000 workers hold now. There have been dramatic changes in the workforce in Central New York.

Gerry Moreton, of Canastota, works at Carrier Corp. in 1994.Michelle Breidenbach | mbreidenbach@syracuse.com

Manufacturing has declined more than any other industry. Onondaga County has suffered the most in Central New York with a 25 percent decrease over 10 years.

The decrease in manufacturing jobs across the country was 15 percent in that same time.

By contrast, some surrounding rural counties with a few strong employers have seen an increase in manufacturing jobs - Madison County has about 560 more workers in the industry than it did in 2004. That's a 24 percent increase.

As manufacturers automated and left the region, the education and health care fields have grown to employ the most workers. In 2010, health care jobs passed education jobs as the No. 1 industry, records show.

Jobs in health care and education are lower paying than jobs in manufacturing in Central New York, according to the state labor department.